Lawn-mower sharpener.



APPLICATION FILED APR.3.1918.

Patented N 0V.- 26, 1918.

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BY f

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E. C. SPRINGER.

LAWN MOWER SHARPENER.

APPLICATION -*F|LED APR.3. l9l8 Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2- A TTORA/EK- E. c. SPRINGER.

LAWN MOWER SHARPENER.

APPLICATION FILED APE-3.19m.

Patented NOV. 26, 1918.

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Ere. SPRINGER.

LAWN MOWE R SHARPENER. APPLICATION FILED APR.3. 1918.

1 ,285,825. Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

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ERNEST C. SPRINGER, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOB 0F ONE-HALF TO VIRGIL A. KEMPER, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

LAWN-MOWER SHABPENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

Application filed April 3, 1918. Serial No. 226,426.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST C. SPRINGER, a citizen-of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lawn-Mower Sharpeners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to lawn mower sharpeners, and one object is to provide an efii-' now be made to the accompanying draw-.

ings, in which:

Figure l is a plan view of the machine showing a lawn mower in dotted lines thereon, with one of its drive wheels removed.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine with the lawn mower in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through line III-J11 of Fig. 4, showing the carriage and adjacent parts of the machine.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the machine.

Fig. 5 is a vertical cross section of the carriage and associated parts, on line VV of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross section of the carriage and associated parts on line VI-VI of Fig. 2. e

Fig. 7 is a detail, perspective view of a crank whereby the machine may be manually operated.

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of means for supporting the forward portion of a lawn mower.

Fig. 9 is a vertical section of the parts disclosed by Fig. 8. with an additional clamp member for holding certain types of lawn mowers.

Fig. 10 is a detail, perspective of the additional clamp disclosed on Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view on line XI-XI' .of Fig. 1.

Fig. 12 is a horizontal section on line XII of Fig. 2, showing a portion of a shaft with tight and loose pulleys employed in carrying out the invention.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the different views.

In carrying out the invention, I employ a substantial frame 1, provided at its upper rear portion with a pair of brackets 2, in the upper ends of which a horizontal shaft 3 is 'journaled. Said shaft 3 is provided atone end with a tight pulley 5 and a loose pulley 6, to receive a drive belt 8, which may be shifted from one pulley to. the other as desired by a belt shifter 10 provided with a handle 12, whereby it is manually controlled.

14 designates a pair of friction wheels adjustably-secured upon the shaft 3 .by set screws 15. By loosening said set screws 15, the friction wheels 14 may be adjusted towvard or away from each other and thus brought into alinement with the drive wheels of lawn mowers of diiferent'widths.

20 designates a pair of standards fixed upon the rear end of a carriage 22. As more clearly disclosed by Fig. 11, each standard- 20 is provided at its upper end with a fixed 23 and a movable jaw 24,which constitute a clamp for holding atransverse rod 25, or the-front bar on certain types of lawn mowers. The movablejaw 24 is mounted at the upper end of the standard 20 on a pivot 26 and is adjusted in and out of engagement with the rods 25 by a screw 28,

threaded through the lower portion of the jaw 24 and bearing against the'rear side of the standard 20. For convenience in rotating the screw 28, the same is provided with a crank 30. p

The rod 25 carries at each end an attachment 31 for holding the front end of cer tain types of lawn mowers which can not be readily engaged by the jaws 23 and 24. As disclosed more clearly by Figs.'8 and 9, each attachment 31 comprises a bracket 33, a slidable member 34, and a screw 35 for adjusting said slidable member 34 up and down. The brackets 33 are slidable on the rod 25 to accommodate lawn mowers of different widths- Said brackets 33 are also rockable on the rod 25, so that the forward end of the lawn mower may be raised high enough to insure its-reel, clearing the top" of the carriage 22. Set screws 37 are provided to secure the brackets 33 at any desired position upon the rod 25. The slidable member 34 operates in a slotted portion 38 at the forward side of the bracket 33 and is prevented from moving bachwardly or orwardly indepemlent]; oi" said bracket b3, by its wall 3!) bearing" against the bracket and its transverse pins lo bearing against the rear of the slotted portion 38.

The lower forward portion of the slidable member ill has a bearing member ll, which reacts with a bearing member 42 on the lower end of the slotted portion 38 of the bracket 33. Said bearing members it and l2 may directly engage the axle of a large lawn mower but on lawn mowers having axles too small to lit snugly within the bearing members ll and 42, l provide the same with a two-piece bushing 4.4 to receive the smaller axles. The screw is provided at its upper end with a hand wheel 46, threaded through v a lug l7 at the upper forward portion of the bracket The lower smooth portion of the screw is journaled in a forwardlyprojecting log 48 of the slidable member 3% and provided with collars 50, engagingthe top and bottom of said lug 48 to cause the member 34 to move up and down with the screw In some types of lawn mowers the clearance between the reel and axle. or other transverse support, is not suflicient to admit the bearing members ll and 42, in which event I employ a pair of clamps 50 (Figs. 9 and 10), comprising jaws 51 and for holding the lawn mower; and shanks 53 and 54 to be gripped by the bushing "14-. A y loosening the bushings at the clamps 50 may be rocked to give the forward end or" the lawn mower the necessary elevation to allow the reel to clear the top of the carriage.

The carriage which supports the standards 20, is provided at a point adjacent each corner with guides 57 slidably mounted in grooves 58 in the two parallel members 59 of the frame 1. lhe guides 57 have slots 60 to receive bolts 61, whereby said guides are firmly secured "to the carriage 22. loosening the bolts 61 the guides may be adjusted laterally to take up lost motion between them and the slots 58 and thus prevent the carriage 22 from shitting laterally.

The top 62 of the carriage has a longitudinal slot 63 to receive a slidable block 65 carrying a fixedly-mounted upwardly-ere tending screw 66, which projects through a nut 5'? adapted to be firmly adjusted into engagement with the carriage top 62 and reliably secure said block 65 at any point or" its adjustment. The screw 66 is provided with a loosely mounted linger 70, adapted to engage over the roller l3 the rear portion of the lawn mower to secure said roller firmly upon the carriagetop 62. This is accon'iplished through the intermediacy of a thumb screw Tl, threaded upon the screw 66 and bearing upon the finger 70.

The carriage 22 is yieldably urged itorwardly to bring the drive wheels C, of the '80 and a seat 82 at the rear end of the rod 7% are provided to receive the ends otthe coil spring 7%.

The rear end of the carriage 22 is pro-- vided with. a transverse handle-bar 85, whereby said carriage 22 may be moved forwardly or backwzirdly to adjust the drive wheels (,7 of the lawn mower in or out of engagement with the peripheries of the friction wheels 14.

Assui'ning that a lawn mower of the type disclosed by dotted lines on Figs. 1 and 2 is to be sharpened said lawn mower is placed in position with its axle, A, journaled in the bushings lei, and the roller B at the rear end of the lawn mower is clamped upon the top (32 of the carriage, through the intermediacy of the finger 70. The operator then grasps the handle-bar 85 and pushes the carriage forwardly until the drive wheels C contact the peripheries of the friction wheels 14. The screw 75 is next adjusted forwardly to compress the spring 7% so that the same will yieldably hold the carriage in position to retain the drivewheels C in frictional engagement with the wheels 14.. The shaft 3 is then driven n'ianually through the intermediacy oil the crank 90, which may take the place of the loose pulley 6, or if power is available the shaft 3 is driven through the intern'iediacy of the tight pulley 5. ltotar tion of the shaft 3 and the friction wheels cause: the drive wheels Q of the lawn mower to rotate. As the drive wheels C rotate they drive the reel containing the rotary lmives D, which are sharpened as they pass the ledger plate E, the same having been previously adjusted in proper relation to the reel and given a coating of emery or other suitable grinding compound. Should the axle A, of the lawn mower be slightly bent and impart an eccentric motion to the drive wheels L, damage to the lawn mower, which would occur if the same were mounted on a rigid support is overcome by the spring which permits the carriage 22 to move backward and forward with the lawn mower and still hold the drive wheels C reliably in engagement with the friction wheels i l.

raving thus described my invention, what laim and desire to secure by Letters Pat- 1 is:

n. In machine of the character described, means for rotating the drive wheels ward the means of a lawn mower, a carriage for holding said lawn mower in position for its drive wheels to be actuated by said means and means to yieldably urge said carriage todrive wheels.

2. In a machine of the character described, rot'ary means for actuating the reel driving mechanism of a lawn mower, a carriage to hold said lawn mower,'j adj11stable guides on said carriage, means for securing said guides at any point of their adjustment, and grooved ways. in which said guides are operably mounted.

3. In a machine of the character described, rotary means for actuating the reel driving mechanlsm of a lawn mower, a carriage, means on said carriage to support the i forward portion of said lawn mower in proper relation to. the rotar means, a' finger V to secure the rear portion 0 the lawn mower upon the carriage, a screw upon which said finger is loosely mounted, vand a nut on said screw to force the finger firmly into engagement with the lawn mower.

4.- In a machine of the character described, rotary means for actuatingthe reel driving mechanism .of a lawn mower, a car for rotating the lawn mower riage, standards, fixed upon said carriage, and clamp means 'on said standards to secure the lawn mower in rotary means.

5. In a machine of the character described, rotary means for actuati ngthe reel drlvmg mechanism of alawn mower, a carrlage, bushings to recelve the axle bers to coact with the first two in firmly holding the bushings, brackets carrying the .properrelation to the v of the lawn mower,'two bearing members to sup;

port said bushings, two other bearing mem-v bearing members, and means supported by thecarriage for holding said brackets.

6. In a -machine of the character described, rotary means for actuating the reel I driving mechanism of a lawn mower, a carriage, bushings, clamp means adjustable in said bushings and. adapted to support the 

